Hello,
I'm a new member here.
I have always wanted to have Shindo preamp, so when the opportunity presented itself, I purchased Vosne Romanee.
The rest of my system is:
Avantgarde Duo Omega G2
Lamm ML2
PAss LAbs XVR1 active crossover
Stereo JL Audio Phathom 110 subs
Hanss T-60 turntable
Graham Supreme II 10" tonearm
Koetsu Urushi Blue cartridge
My previous preamp, that I still have, is Tron Syren Ultimate II
I'm going to listen to both, Tron and VR, and keep the one, I like better.
After a couple of weeks of having VR, I have some preliminary impressions:
Shindo has more forward midrange, somewhat more impactful bass and overall
more robust and 'bottom up" presentation.
it's is very musical has plenty of detail and has very organic presentation.
Anyhow, I have a few questions, please:
I'm going to try a SUT, as everyone here seems to prefer, so my first question is- what SUT will match my Koetsu?
According to my research, the candidates could be:
Koetsu SUT
Auditorium 23 Hommage (not sure which one, T1, or T2?)
Any other SUT suggestions?
Oh, and I do have Shindo ICs b/w VR and crossover

I had a Jade Platinum when I initially bought my Shindo setup. I had very little success making it work with my Shindo preamp. I tried Direct in to MC on my Shindo Monbrison, a Silver-Core SUT, a Choir Hashimoto HM-7, and both Auditorium 23 Standard SUT's. The latter being the low impedance SPU version, and the Denon 103 version. I remember my best results were the Hashimoto, set to it's LOW impedance setting. The worst was direct in to the preamps MC input. All that said, I got too soft of a sound with the Koetsu. It didn't have any PRAT, and was slow and uninvolving. My EMT Tsd-15 was so locked in with the A23 Denon, so that's what I kept, until moving to the T2. I notice you use a Graham, and FWIW, my Jade was on a Basis Vector 3 arm. My best sound from a Koetsu was an RSP on a Graham 2.2, but the system was too different to say I had a mismatch with the Vector/Jade. Not only that, but I did get better sound with the Koetsu/Vector going in to a different preamp prior to the Shindo. I also plan on trying an alternative cartridge soon, hopefully on a second turntable. I am considering the Kiseki, and also intrigued by the Charisma carts. It sounds as if you're getting good sound out of your VR, which is a tremendous preamp.

I had a Jade Platinum when I initially bought my Shindo setup. I had very little success making it work with my Shindo preamp. I tried Direct in to MC on my Shindo Monbrison, a Silver-Core SUT, a Choir Hashimoto HM-7, and both Auditorium 23 Standard SUT's. The latter being the low impedance SPU version, and the Denon 103 version. I remember my best results were the Hashimoto, set to it's LOW impedance setting. The worst was direct in to the preamps MC input. All that said, I got too soft of a sound with the Koetsu. It didn't have any PRAT, and was slow and uninvolving. My EMT Tsd-15 was so locked in with the A23 Denon, so that's what I kept, until moving to the T2. I notice you use a Graham, and FWIW, my Jade was on a Basis Vector 3 arm. My best sound from a Koetsu was an RSP on a Graham 2.2, but the system was too different to say I had a mismatch with the Vector/Jade. Not only that, but I did get better sound with the Koetsu/Vector going in to a different preamp prior to the Shindo. I also plan on trying an alternative cartridge soon, hopefully on a second turntable. I am considering the Kiseki, and also intrigued by the Charisma carts. It sounds as if you're getting good sound out of your VR, which is a tremendous preamp.

Thanks so much for responding to my questions.
I'm using MC input on Shindo, as I don't have SUT yet, and I have to tell you, my experience is very different form what you describe.
It is very dynamic, not soft, "slow", or rolled-off at all.
In that sense, Shindo VR is not much different from my other preamp, Tron Syren Ultimate- the only difference is timbral balance.
As a matter of fact, I had our audiophile club meeting at my place, where I used Shindo, and it seems, people universally liked, what they heard. It even got an applause on a couple of pieces.
I do have a few reservations though with my present arrangement
1. VR has a little bit too much gain for my 108 dB system
2. MC input is not completely quiet, as it is with Tron, hum is VERY low, but present.
A question- what is the cartridge loading value in VR?
I know, Koetsu "likes" 100 Ohm.
Will an outboard SUT potentially minimize the residual hum, I'm experiencing with the bult-in SUT?